Kabul Afghanistan Terrorists Attack 7/23

Today Saturday July 23rd, over 80 people were killed in an attack by the Islamic State on a group of protestors who were protesting a multi million dollar power line that was routed to go through Bamian, a province dominated by Hazara in central Afghanistan. Over 230 people were additionally wounded in this attack which has been reported to have been done by three people wearing explosive belts. This incidence has been the most deadly attack since the 2001 extraction of the Taliban led by U.S. forces and said to have been committed with the intent of spawning a civil war. Of the three terrorists involved in the attack, only one explosive belt went off. The other belt failed to detonate, and the third culprit was shot and killed by security. Thankfully only one explosion occurred, but it still amounted to cause a significant amount of harm.

Acts like this have been waged between the divided ethnicities of Afghanistan, the Shiite and the Sunni before, however this was one of most deadly in history. Bamian which is dominated by Hazara’s are predominately Shiite, and most of the Afghanistan is Sunni, so this act of terror was economical for the impoverished Hazara (who want the power lines), but it was also rooted in an age old ethnic divide.

There have been similar acts of terror throughout the world, most notable in African between the Hutu and Tutsis. Ethnic divide between subservient Hutus who make up a majority of the population, and the Tutsis, the minority, albeit still maintain control of the government. These ethnic divides eventually let to Rwanda, one of the largest genocides in history, and still plague the country today with conflict.

Ethnic and spiritual divides are the hardest things to deal with, because neither is rooted in sound logic. Perceptions lead people to act out of belief rather than logic, and can condone a lot of irrational actions such as genocide or terrorist attacks like we have seen today.

Attacks like this today are what makes Afghanistan a high risk state for travel, education, and business. Extreme belief systems are hurting the country in more ways than one and creating an environment in which citizens are constantly fearful for their safety.

Humans are extremely impressionable and it is unfortunate that so many fall victim to extreme belief systems that are rooted in hate and destruction. Small groups of people put the whole country at risk of war and increasing economic deficits.

Lets’s all pray for Kabul and pray for the people affected by today’s terrorists attack.